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Mint Mocha
Chapters 1-3 in Wake Up and Smell the Coffee. Chapter One - Another Quest I was at home, working on math homework, when I got an Iris message. Seeing a glimmer out of the corner of my eye, I held up a finger, signaling whoever it was to wait, finished the problem I was working on, and looked up. There was Chiron. “Uh. Hi Chiron.” “Hello Kassi. I’m sorry to disturb you right now, but I need you to come to camp right away.” “Why?” He paused. “I can’t say right now. I don’t want this message to be infiltrated, but it is of importance. Bring everything you would need for a quest, including companions. Your transportation will be provided. Be ready as soon as possible.” Before I had time to ask more, he waved his hand, and the image faded. I went downstairs and found my dad watching the news. “Uhh, dad?” He turned to me. “Yeah?” “Chiron just messaged from camp. He said that I need to go there right away, and that it was important. He didn’t say much, but he told me to bring items for a quest, so that’s probably what I’m doing. Can you call school and just say that I’m sick or something?” “Yeah sure. When are you leaving?” “A.S.A.P. I need to contact my friends and let them know. Chiron just said that he’d take care of getting us there. I don’t know anything else.” “Ok. Just make sure to tell me before you leave.” “Okay, will do.” I wandered back up to my room. My dad was a pretty chill guy. He was humorous and funny and could see through the mist. That, coupled with his mischievous side, always made me wonder if there was a little Hermes blood in him. Maybe from his father; Grandpa was like that too. Anyway, I called Natalie. “Hey Natalie. Chiron messaged and told me to come to camp. He hinted that is was a quest, well, he said bring things for a quest...but yeah. So be ready A.S.A.P.” “What’s the quest?” “I don’t know; he wouldn’t say.” “How are we getting there?” “I don’t know; he wouldn’t say.” “Great.” “Just be ready!!” I hung up the phone and called Rebecca Marks, Seth Alder, and Emma Clarkson, the same companions I had in my first quest a year before. They all agreed, and we met at my house. Waiting uneasily for our ride, we stood there for about ten minutes in the frosty air before a bright light filled the area. As it dimmed, we saw Michael Yew, Rebecca’s half brother. “What are you doing here?” I asked as he walked over to us (A small smile appeared on Natalie’s face when she saw him). “I’m here to pick you up,” he said steadily. “Umm......why?” "To get you to camp.” I rolled my eyes. “I know that, but why are you here and how do we get going?” “''I'm'' here because I was in camp and volunteered. And Apollo is helping out with the transportation.” “What’s up with all the light?” asked Seth. “Apollo wasn’t very patient. He thought it would help move things along. Speaking of moving along, let’s get going.” I quickly ran back inside and told my dad I was leaving. He gave me a hug and said, “Hey, be careful.” “Yeah, no problem.” I ran back out, and we started walking. We got on a bus and went downtown to where the city building was (apparently, Apollo didn’t want to transport us all back). There sat a black SUV, right in the middle of the plaza. Leaning against it was a handsome man, staring at the sculpture. We walked up to him. He looked at us, a dazzling smile on his face, and said, “Big, red, and strange blob. It is supposed to be art. My work is better.” He then frowned as he took in our expressions. “What? It was good.” I had heard of Apollo’s haikus. Everyone was right, they were horrible. He frowned some more and reluctantly turned away from the sculpture (which I think he secretly liked) to face us fully. “All right, let’s get going here. Hop in.” He then caught sight of Rebecca. “Rebecca!” he called, his face once again smiling. He walked over to her and gave her a hug. “How are you? Good? Healing well?” Rebecca looked shocked and just replied, “Uhh..” She was never the most outgoing person, actually very shy. “Well, how about I let you drive? It’ll be great.” “Umm. No, that’s okay.” “Aww. C’mon.” “No. I’m fine, really.” It looked like he was going to press her more, but I interrupted, “Umm. Apollo? Don’t we need to get going?” Rebecca shot me a look and mouthed, “Thank you.” I nodded in response. He looked back at me, and his face fell as if I reminded him of something nasty. “I guess so.” He walked toward the SUV and opened the driver door, then catching sight of Emma, stopped. “Why hello there.” She shot him a look of why-is-this-guy-hitting-on-me? and continued to get into the car. Apollo just shrugged and continued on. We were all seated, and he said lifelessly from the front. “Please keep all body parts inside the vehicle at all times at risk of burning.” With that he started it up, and we were on our way, moving fast over the country side. “What’s his problem?” I heard Natalie ask Michael. “Something about losing at cards to Chiron. I think he as to do stuff for Chiron or something. That’s the reason for this, so he’s not too happy about it.” Well, that explained it. Minutes later, we arrived at camp. As we got out of the sun chariot, Chiron galloped up to us. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be more straightforward. Iris messages can sometimes get intercepted. I have news for you. Another coffee chain, Biggby, somehow connects to our world. I know you stopped Starbucks last year and I hoped you would take up this quest.” I looked at Natalie, we had guessed as much. We had done a bit of research on it ever since Natalie made the connection. Biggby = Boreas = devourer = not good. Of course, at the time, Natalie was against taking action, and I agreed semi-unwillingly. Now, we had to. One: we had the best knowledge about it, not that Chiron knew. Two: Chiron had asked us to. Chiron, mistaking our look for one of questioning and confusion, continued, “The quest would be Kassi’s. I don’t mean to exclude you Natalie, but I thought that since she led it last time, she would know the ropes.” “Sure,” I said. “Should I go see the oracle?” “No,” he replied, “I don’t believe that’s necessary this time. Just leave as soon as possible.” “Uhh. Ok,” I said, perplexed at the omission of the prophecy. Wasn’t that important? Oh, well, I guess not. I turned to my companions, “You guys ready?” I asked, looking at their packs. They all said they were. “Ok then. Let’s get going.” Michael turned to Natalie. “Good luck. Kill a monster for me.” “Thanks. I will,” she said, laughing. Apollo turned to Rebecca. “Hey, you’ll do great kid.” He went up o her and gave her another hug. Something about his expression was wrong, but I didn’t have time to wonder. Seth was talking to me. “Any ideas?” he asked. “Yeah. Lansing. The start of Biggby. Might as well start there.” Chapter 2 - Canada We all got in Camp's van and Argos drove us into town. We bought train tickets. First to Chicago, then to Lansing, where Biggby was founded. We had a lot of fun on the train, planning and talking. “Alright, so I think we should go into a Biggby just like we did with Starbucks, just in case there’s something we can find out.” “Yeah, cause that worked out so well last tim,” said Seth sarcastically. “Well,” I laughed, “that wasn’t all me. This time, don’t even think about eating anything from Biggby.” “Yeah,” chimed in Rebecca, “I told you to get a granola bar.” “The cookie looked better.” Then a voice came over the intercom. “The track has been damaged badly ahead of us. We will stop in Buffalo, New York. We will try to get this problem resolved as soon as possible. Please enjoy your stay.” We looked at each other as we prepared to get off the train. We didn’t have time to stay in Buffalo for a week. We didn’t have that much supplies. “Well, we can go through Canada,” suggested Natalie. “It’s not that far. Just slip through the border.” As much as I didn’t think that it was right, I agreed; we all did. Somehow, we managed it; we were now in Canada. “Canada has messed up bacon,” I commented. “They’re just circles of warm ham.” “True,” said Natalie. Anyway, apparently we didn’t cross the border well enough. About four hours in, we caught a glimpse of us on the news. It said that we snuck into the country illegally and to be on the lookout for us. It also said that government officials were on the case. Great. “Oh my gods! They’re probably watching us with a satellite or something!” said Emma worriedly. “They’re not going to use a satellite for a little case of border control,” mentioned Seth. “Right. All we have to do is lie low and get to Detroit. From there we can get to Lansing,” I said, trying not to show my worries. We ducked our heads and boarded a bus. It was beat up and nasty, but no one noticed us. Unfortunately, it only got us not even half way. We stayed in Norfork for a night and then once again tried to catch a bus. This time, it didn’t work out so well. Naturally, someone spotted us. In a matter of minutes, the police were notified, and we were on the run. We started bolting away from the station, slowing to a walk after we got a good distance away. Running marks you. I learned that from Jason Bourne. Anyway, we saw a bunch of police cars, and we jumped behind shelter anytime one passed us by. Unfortunately, one spotted us ducking into a book store. Peering through the shelves, we saw him get out of his car and enter the shop. He asked the lady something in French. “Uh no. He just asked about us,” Emma said, “And she told him we went over here. Move.” We hurriedly went to the other side of the store where we saw him walk to where we just were. “Wait, how do you know that?” asked Rebecca. “Language of love. Just about every Aphrodite kid knows French.” “Oh. Wow.” “Guys!” I said in a whisper, “Can we focus on getting away? Seth, go distract him in the back of the store. Then we’ll run out the entrance.” He went off, and we snuck closer to the front, ready to run. We heard a crash from the back. I sighed. I had said distraction, that doesn’t mean go break things. Oh well, it was too late now. Seth appeared, and we followed him to the door racing out it. One problem, he saw us. He just caught sight of us through the windows. Uggg. We just couldn't win. Now we were running through the streets with a cop chasing after us, yelling at us in French that only Emma could understand (Ohhhh, he’s a potty mouth). We knew that we had to get out of there, and quick. We were outdistancing him for the time being, but he was probably going to call for backup soon. Finally, I saw a chance. One of those flat bed trucks with a tarp. Perfect. We had just rounded a corner so the cop couldn’t see us, but he wasn’t far behind. “C’mon. Get in the truck,” I said, hoping on it. We all jumped in, and just as the tarp fell back into place, the cop turned the corner. He looked around for us, and seeing no one, went into some store, probably thinking we went in there. I then felt the truck roar to life beneath me. This was either going to be really good, or really bad. We opted to stay on the truck, see where it led us. Luckily (Finally!!!) we arrived in London (Yes, that’s in Canada). Not wanting to risk getting recognized again, we walked on country roads to Chatham-Kent, only having to spend one night out in the open. In that charming town, we met someone, well, something. Just outside of it, still in the country, we heard crashes. Wondering what they were, we followed them to their source. What we saw surprised us all: giants. Chapter 3 - Winter Swimming They saw us, and we got our weapons ready, prepared for a fight. They didn’t care about us, didn’t even make a move. Instead, one of them spoke, “Why so battle-ready demigods. We mean no harm. Just making it back to our home.” Wow, he seemed very well spoken for a giant that was eight feet tall. “Why should we trust you?” I asked. Giants didn’t have a good reputation with demigods. “All giants are not bad. Our brethren give us a bad name. Come. Tell us your story. A quest no doubt. Perhaps we can help.” The way he said it, I didn’t think that we had much of a choice unless we wanted a fight. Always hoping for a diplomatic solution, I walked into the clearing, still cautious. It turned out that they weren’t bad hosts. We talked with them for a bit. They said that they were a branch off of other giants, reformers you could say. The had a small group together closer towards the border of Michigan. That they were peaceful and that these three would be happy to give us a lift. We didn’t have many choices. The Canadian police were already looking for us, and we still had a long way to go. I talked it over with my friends, and we decided to do it. If they were unfriendly, we could probably take them. They packed up their things, and we sat on their shoulders, not very comfortable. Surprisingly, they moved very fast, and we were at Windsor, Ontario in no time. They went to the harbor and entered an abandoned warehouse. This was when I started to feel uneasy. Stays at abandoned warehouses never turn out well. We climbed off of them, and after a gracious thank you, stressed that we had to leave. “What? There’s no need to go,” said one of them. “We’re in a hurry, but once again, thank you so much,” I said, starting towards the exit. “Guys!!!” he yelled. Soon, more giants came into the room, all looking at us, licking their lips. “Laistrygonians,” Natalie cursed. Great, just great. Of, course we have to come across man-eating giants. Why not? “You must stay,” continued one, who was apparently the leader. “What happened to being peaceful?” I asked, trying to buy time. He laughed a horrible, deep, throaty laugh. “Don’t believe everything you hear young demigod.” I knew something was off about them, as did my companions, but I never would have guessed that, out of all of the types of giants, they would be laistrygonians. The ones behind him looked antsy, as if they were tired of waiting and just wanted to eat us. The exit door behind me taunted us with its red light. We would have to run for it. “How did you get in Windsor?” “We had to spilt off from our bigger group up north. Not enough food. Here there is plenty. No suspicions either. No more talk now. Time to feast.” Ok, now was the time. “Oh my gosh!!!” I said, pointing behind them at a doorway, “Hey, that’s theirs!!! Don’t take stuff from them and just run!!!!” They all looked at the doorway and most of them scrambled in it, eager to attack the intruder. My friends didn’t need any sign or telling, we all bolted to the door, bursting out of it into the sunlight while they were distracted. It was a nice day, but unfortunately, angry giants were chasing after us. We headed for the bridge, hoping to get to Detroit before the majority caught up. We ran onto the bridge, ignoring the honking horns behind us. By this time, the giants had caught up, and we were in a full battle. Hesperus was in bow form, and Rebecca and I shot at them, aiming for the eyes. We got some of them, but it was hard to concentrate with traffic going on around you, and water swirling 150 feet below you. Natalie, Seth, and Emma were hacking away while trying to make it across. A giant charged at me, and I changed to a sword. His fist came at me, and I dodged, slicing his wrist. I darted under his other arm and stabbed him in the side, but he skirted away, and I only left a small streak. He lashed out again, and this time caught me in the chest. I flew backwards and slammed over a car, now uncomfortably close to the edge. The owner yelled at me in French. Dazed, I stood up, only to be knocked over again. I frantically groped for a hold, my hand catching the edge of the road, me dangling over the side. The giant came towards me, a grin on its face. I struggled to get up, but my sword was ten feet away. There was no way I was going to make it. Just as I was assessing my chances of dropping into the water and making it out alive, a sword point came through its back. It exploded into dust, and Natalie was standing there, rushing to help me up. “Thanks," I told her. “No problem.” Everyone was pretty much holding their own, but we were only about half-way across, and more were coming. I knew there was no use, there were too many. Also, the bridge was in bad shape, cables were snapping and mortals looked terrified. I vaguely wondered what they were seeing through the mist. We had to get off this bridge. It was going to give, and then all of us, including the mortals, would die. “Just run, we need to get away and off of this bridge!” I yelled to my friends. We basically ran for our lives, running through the jammed traffic. We made it to the other support when it started to go wrong. There was no way that we could make it all the way to ground level by just running. We would have to climb. I started down the support, hoping that the giants wouldn’t catch up. I was wrong. We weren’t even half way down when they were too close. We couldn’t jump, only concrete was below us. “Rebecca!! Get the suction arrows! Give me one.” She dug in her quiver and got out some of her super suction arrows with a line attached. She handed some to me, and I hurriedly loaded one on my bow, watching the giants approach. She then stuck her hand in her pocket and pulled it out with a container in her hand and a confused look on her face. “This isn’t mine.” “Let me see,” I said, pausing in loading my arrow, suddenly remembering that look Apollo had when he hugged Rebecca. She handed me that container and on it it said Apollo’s Hypothermia Prevention. Take one mouthful and wait fifteen minutes before entering the water to stay perfectly warm! ''This would help a lot, considering the freezing temperature of the water in February. I opened it and took a drink. It burned my throat and a warm feeling started to grow inside of me. I handed the bottle to Seth, “Drink some. Trust me.” They all took a sip of the concoction. “It says wait fifteen minutes,” said Rebecca, who now had the container and was reading it. “We don’t have fifteen minutes!” I hoped the time we did have would be enough. The giants were laughing at us, stuck on the support, and started hitting it, breaking it. “Uhh, guys. We have a problem,” said Seth. “Hold on!” I yelled back. I took aim and fired the arrow to the bottom of the bridge. I yanked on the cord and it held. Rebecca did the same. Hurriedly loading once again, we fired five total strands on the bridge. It was this or die. I handed the strands out as did Rebecca, following my example. “When you go in the water, stay tight and enter at a slight angle. You should be fine.” ''I hope, I added in my head. My friends looked at me like I was crazy, but this was our only hope. The giants were wreaking havoc above us, and this way, hopefully, the bridge wouldn’t be destroyed. Seth opened his mouth to protest but I cut him off, there was no time, “Just do it!” I wrapped my hand around the line and leapt off the support. Swinging through the air, I let go at the lowest point in my swing. Falling, I prayed to every god I could think of, mostly Poseidon and Apollo, but the others didn’t hurt. I tucked my body together and hit the water. It was a shock. The water was hard, like slamming into something, and it was freezing. My body decelerated quickly due to the water, I just hoped not too quickly. I rushed to the surface and gasped for air when my head broke it. I frantically looked around for my friends and saw their heads pop up not too far away from me. The giants roared in frustration as their dinner got away. Mad, one of them picked up a car and threw it at us. I dived down, hoping my friends did the same, and it narrowly missed me. Coming back up again, the current had pulled me much farther downstream and was still swiftly pulling at us. We swam to the shore and flopped on the ground, out bodies horribly worn down by the physical exertion. Plus, the cold water saps your strength. The drink helped enough to keep us from dying, and that was about it. Up on the bridge, the rest of the giants lumbered back to Canada, but the bridge was not looking good. Cables were broken, one support tower was badly damaged, and cars were piled everywhere. At least we were in Detroit. Next Chapters ~ Chapters 4-9: Cafe Au Lait